


See No Evil

by Herald_of_Dreams



Series: Star Wars Tales [23]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Drabble, Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-03
Updated: 2013-06-03
Packaged: 2017-12-13 19:41:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/828092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Herald_of_Dreams/pseuds/Herald_of_Dreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written in 2008. A drabble of thoughts and events leading up to a famous conversation during ESB. Rated for some possibly-disturbing imagery.</p>
            </blockquote>





	See No Evil

_See no evil._

Imperial Center was bloody tonight. It was raw and bleeding with misery and pain. To most of the citizens, it was a hulk, a heart scraped of all its flesh, a bright painful wound that was Darkness. The sunset was crimson, flared with touches of gold, a curtain of blood edged with hope that was nearly shut out.

To the man sitting alone on his throne, it was glorious. Wizened eyes gazed upon the magnificence of decay and death and behind those eyes, a sadistic mind smiled. It was triumphant in its slow decline. It was everything and nothing at the same time, monumental and a flickering annoyance.

Palpatine gazed out at the scene in Monument Square and saw blood in the hollows of the land. His own hands, feeble as they were, held the Empire together with an iron grip, a ruthless grip. He gazed down at his fingers and smiled. Those fingers had clutched a lightsaber once, had bestowed healing powers to his apprentice and had choked another that was unworthy of life.

In those hands lay billions of atrocities. Those hands also held power.

_Hear no evil._

Far from the dying heart of the Empire, the darkest enforcer walked through the streets of the underground, his dark glare penetrating the shady streets of the nearest stocking station to his goal. His eyes saw red everywhere, muting and filtering all other colors until the hot, fiery burn of red was all he saw.

Lord Vader stalked the streets, wondering what had called him here. Death and ruin walked hand in hand, smiling at the perfection of their work. He gazed at the destruction and headed toward the center, the perfection and the elegance he was used to.

A voice wailed in fear as he walked and his eyes started to turn toward the sound. He stopped himself and walked on, ignoring the sound. It was long ago that he would have helped someone who was in trouble. Now he had his own worries, and the grim delight of his fragmented mind laughed as the wail turned to frightened sobs, crumpling into a scream and deafening silence.

The Dark Side held sway here. Fear was its ammunition.

_Speak no evil._

Later, the dark warrior bowed before his crippled, aged Master and listened.

"We have a new Enemy. Luke Skywalker."

"He's just a boy. Obi-Wan cannot have taught him so much that-"

"The Force is strong with him. He must be destroyed."

Desperation now. The dark one's mind was filled with it.

"If he could be turned, he would be a powerful ally."

"Yes." Contemplation. "Can it be done?"

Evil's face smiled and said, "He will join us or die, my Master."

 _See Evil. Hear Evil. Speak Evil._        


End file.
